Examples Of Alienation In The Outsiders

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Hinton captures the essence of what alienation can mean to adolescents that transcend time, making The Outsiders as relevant today as it was forty-seven years ago. “Adolescence is a period of feeling like an outsider; teenagers are literally outsiders in their bodies because they are unable to stop or control the physical changes that are happening. They are also starting to develop their separate identities as individuals,” (Gillespie, 2006, p. 48) leading to feelings of inadequacies and self- consciousness in most adolescents. At the beginning of The Outsiders, Ponyboy Curtis feels alienated from the members of his gang, his brothers, and by society in general. His intelligence and his love of movies, books, and sunsets aren’t respected by the gang, or at least that’s what he thinks. Ponyboy's status as a Greaser also makes him feel like an outsider, barred from opportunities that the Socs enjoy, and falsely judged by other’s (“Shmoop Editorial Team,” 2008).…show more content…
12). Yet he still feels alienated by his mother who chooses to ignore him, even going as a far as to say, “I think I like it better when the old man’s hittin’ me. At least then I know he knows who I am” (Hinton, 1967, p 51). This stark revelation by Johnny leads the reader to conclude that alienation and indifference are a fate worse than savagery when the perpetrators are the very people that should care the most. On the other hand, Randy confides in Ponyboy that Bob might still be alive if his parents had just set limits, “he kept trying to make someone say ‘No’ and they never did… to have somebody lay down the law, set the limits, give him something solid to stand on” (Hinton, 1967, p. 116). This narrative helps Ponyboy understand the Socs in a way he never has before; he sees them as being like

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